Sabres Head Coach Lindy Ruff Promiss To Talk The Team In…..
The Buffalo Sabres need to desperately retool a few positions, and the prospect pool could help them out in that regard.
The Buffalo Sabres are still thought of as having the NHL’s best prospects pool, and while that’s not as relevant as it was a year or two ago, many of the names in this article might find themselves a permanent spot in the City of Good Neighbors next season.
It also wouldn’t be surprising if every player listed at least plays multiple games at the NHL level, and even a few not mentioned also make a one-and-done debut. This prospects pool is so talented that it was tough to think of just five players, so someone was going to be an odd man out.
Some, like Nikita Novikov and Viktor Neuchev, enjoyed outstanding debut seasons in North America, but they’re unlikely to crack the Sabres lineup come October 2024, barring some miracle camp and preseason. Even then, it would be tough to see them sticking around the big club.
But you can’t say the same for the following five players, so let’s outline why they’re the top prospects in the system.
5 – Matt Savoie crushed it in his AHL cameo, final WHL season
Matt Savoie’s NHL debut may have lasted just under four minutes, but he once again crushed it on the junior circuit. He played in just 11 games for the Wenatchee Wild and scored on a goal-per-game basis with 24 total points before a big trade sent him to Moose Jaw, where he put up another 19 goals in 23 contests for the Warriors.
Savoie had 47 total points in Moose Jaw, bringing his regular season totals to 71 in 34 regular season games, good for over two per contest. He also totaled 30 goals in that span, and you can only wonder what kind of damage he may have done if he played an entire season in the WHL.
But he didn’t need to play a whole year on the junior circuit since a “reconditioning stint” in Rochester ended with him scoring two goals and five points across six games. It’s also worth noting that Savoie played another eight playoff games for the Warriors as of April 25th, where he has seven goals and 13 points.
It’s tough to see Savoie making the opening-day lineup for the Sabres at this point, but he will be a prime scorer in Rochester and play in some NHL games.
On Tuesday (April 23), the Buffalo Sabres officially re-introduced Lindy Ruff as their next head coach, and whether it was Ruff talking about the talent on this team, the need for commitment and connection from the start of training camp, or getting to the next level, there were many takeaways from his Tuesday press conference at KeyBank Center.
During his introductory presser, Ruff went out of his way to mention the Sabres’ goaltending and a defence that starts with Rasmus Dahlin (73 points in 2022-23). That same season, Ruff’s New Jersey Devils won 52 games, and a playoff round thanks (in large part) to Dougie Hamilton (who also had a 70-point campaign). Now back with the Sabres, Ruff will get to coach another elite defender; the question, though is if can he get the 2018 first-overall pick to another level. Paul Hamilton weighs in:
“As far as young defensemen go, he’s not even in the same hemisphere as Quinn Hughes, he’s not even in the same hemisphere as (Cale) Makar, and I’ll be very interested to see what Lindy Ruff can do with Rasmus Dahlin. Not that Rasmus Dahlin is bad, but I think there’s a lot more there, and the question is can Lindy Ruff unlock that?”
